


Flying Into Home

by XWingKC



Series: Stargate Winter Fic Exchange 2020-2021 [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28648734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XWingKC/pseuds/XWingKC
Summary: This is one of my gifts to z_Bohemian_Butterfly_z for the Stargate Winter Fic Exchange 2020-2021. The request was an established S/J in DC. I hope that this meets the request. And I hope you all enjoy it.
Relationships: Samantha "Sam" Carter/Jack O'Neill
Series: Stargate Winter Fic Exchange 2020-2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2109810
Comments: 20
Kudos: 24
Collections: Stargate Winter Fic Exchange 2020-21





	Flying Into Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [z_Bohemian_Butterfly_z](https://archiveofourown.org/users/z_Bohemian_Butterfly_z/gifts).



I don’t know why these emotions are hitting me now. I love my job. I do. It’s just that I miss home. I miss Earth.

This tin can isn’t cutting for me anymore. Of course I’ll do my job. It’s what I always do. I’ve never backed down before. But something inside of me aches. It’s a pain that I’ve never felt so hard before.

Maybe this pain has been there the whole time and I’ve been using the job as a cover to my hurt. I don’t know how others have done this. If I had known this is how others felt, I would have reached out to them sooner. Maybe offered to talk, or commiserate. What I would give to be in my own house, in my own bed, snuggled up to…

Why can he make me cry at just the thought of him? And now it’s not just him. I miss my daughter like I miss my dad. She is my light and my hope. She will be three this year, and I’ve been absent from her life for well more than half of it. I need a change.

He is such a good father to her. He has always adored children. I believe he was made to have kids in his life. Our little one has helped stop an oozing hole in his heart left by Charlie. The wound is still open, and I believe it always will be. 

When our baby was born, he broke down with such emotion and passion. I had never seen that side to him. Later he would tell me that seeing me with our daughter on my chest was a dream that he never thought would come true. He had a dream years ago, even before we took that fateful trip to the cabin, of me having his child. 

We waited so long for each other. He waited even longer for a child. We cried together, holding our newborn baby between us for a long time.

Over the years he has found a way to stop the outflow of pain from Charlie. He says that I have helped. I don’t know how, really. I cannot imagine losing my baby. It would ruin me. Daniel must have really helped Jack after Charlie died. They are such good friends. I am glad Jack has him in his life.

My heart wants different things now. All of us are replaceable. I don’t try to pretend my job is any more important than Cadman or Kleinman’s. Any one of these younger kids can easily take my spot.

I’m tired. I’m tired of missing birthdays and anniversaries. I’m tired of not sleeping in my own bed with my husband wrapped around my body. I miss my daughter’s laughter. I’m forgetting what her eyes look like.

We have one more hour before we reach Earth. I make my way around the ship, checking in on my crew to make sure they have what they need to set the ship into orbit and then on standby. Everyone is working, and there are only a few who complain. But they have complained the whole time. We have all sorts of personalities on board. 

I have packed up my bag. This time I have packed up all of it. I will have it beamed straight into our bedroom. I’m hoping to not have to return. I am hoping he will hear my request as his wife and not one of his Colonels. 

With nothing left to do until we establish orbit, I return to the bridge. Even as I talk with the crew, my mind is thinking of home. I can’t wait to hold my Olivia Grace again. I also can’t wait to sink my teeth into my husband. Figuratively, for the most part.

We enter the solar system and come out of hyperspace. The nav and comm crew start talking with Earth to make our final arrival. They tell us what orbital slot to take. The crew takes us in. There’s very little for me to do right now but wait.

We establish orbit beyond the planet’s geosynchronous satellites. Only a few countries know we have ships, so we stay beyond the satellites to avoid detection. Most of Earth’s satellites are pointed at Earth anyways, but better to be safe.

Nav puts us into a stable orbit. I turn the ship over to the skeleton crew that comes on board, thanking my own crew for another successful journey back to Earth. It is time for me to go home.

I have to go to the Pentagon first, and meet up with General Vidrine and Admiral Halsey, Secretary of the Air Force and Navy respectively. They are in charge of our fleet of ships and the weapons we carry. I’m beamed into the secure room in Halsey’s office. I’m welcomed in, and I give my debriefing to them both. 

I notice them both acting very strangely towards me. I ask them what is going on, and Halsey just smiles at me and tells me everything is fine. I look to Vidrine, and he has a smirk on his face. I leave their office wondering what in the world I did.

I make my way to the Homeworld offices. I walked in and his secretary smiled at me. I smile back, and she tells me he has people in his office. I tell her I will wait, and not to bother calling him and disrupt his meeting.

Twenty minutes later, his door opens, and out walk two people. I don’t recognize either one of them. He sees me through the door, and he flashes a smile at me that I know is only reserved for me. I smile back, barely able to hold back my emotions. His secretary notices, and she ushers me in, and closes the door behind me.

I stare at him, eyes watery with the emotions that have built up this year. He stands and gets around his desk and moves to me, quickly taking me into his arms. We both let out a deep, deep exhale at our joining. I can’t hold it back any longer.

“I don’t want to go back. I’m done,” I whisper into his ear as he holds me tighter. 

“I’ve missed you,” he whispers back.

He holds me for another five minutes or so before either one of us is ready to let go. He rocks me in his arms, and kisses my temple. I feel his hands through my flight suit and need them on me. I need him on me so I can feel whole again.

“How is Grace doing?” I finally ask.

“Growing up to be just like her mother,” he says, and I can feel his smile against my head. I shake in his arms as my tears fall again thinking of our daughter. 

“Is she home?” I quack out like a duck due to my sobs. I’m such a dork sometimes.

“Ya, Gina is with her. You want me to come with you? I can blow off the rest of my afternoon,” he offers.

I pull back from his shoulder to look at him in the eyes. Oh how I have missed him. He takes a thumb and wipes my tears away. I give him a watery-eyed smile. I love him.

“Yes. I would like that. Can you give me some time in here so I don’t look like a big baby walking out of here?” I tried to joke.

He chuckled at my attempt, and looked at me with so much love I can feel it burn my soul.

“We can wait as long as you need. It will give us time to talk. I have something I want to run by you,” he said. He motioned for me to have a seat. “Are you hungry or thirsty? I can have the Captain grab us something from the food court.”

“Yes. That would be great. Maybe just a salad for me. I’ll write it down for her,” I tell him. 

We both give our orders to his secretary, who leaves the office, and us, alone. I settle back into the couch in his office, and he joins me. He sits close and drapes an arm around me. I settled into the comfort of him again.

“So. What’s up?” I ask.

“Did you already see Vidrine and Halsey?”

“I did. They were acting strange. So I imagine you know what’s going on?” I ask, turning my head to him with a giddy smile on my face.

“I do,” he said, smirking back at me like Vidrine did.

“You going to tell me?” I asked, poking him gently in the side with my elbow. He feigns pain as I do.

“You made the cut, Sam. You got your star,” he said like a proud husband. 

I am stunned. I can’t process that information. 

“What?” I exclaim.

“You did, _General_ Carter, I have the Senate confirmation list on my desk,” he said, kissing my forehead.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?”

“I wanted to be the one to tell you,” he said. 

I am conflicted. I want to retire. I want to hang this up and just be with my family. I’m done traipsing across the galaxies. How can I make him understand?

“Jack, I uh,” and I pause. But General’s don’t go across the galaxies except for short TDYs. Maybe I should hear him out.

“What?” he asks, shifting in his seat to face me more. I sit up to turn to him.

“I don’t want to go back out there. I want to be home with you and Grace. The only way I will accept this is if I don’t have to go alone anymore. I’m done,” I say looking him straight in the eyes. He can see I’m serious.

“That is good. Because there’s more,” he said with a small grin, “I’m retiring. I am also done.”

A smile creeps across my face at his admission. Finally. Our daughter will have a parent home full time.

“Alright. That’s fair. Do you know where they are going to put me?” I ask. 

“There is one spot opening up,” he said. He pauses.

“So are you going to tell me?” I ask, laughing. 

“Landry is retiring.”

My stomach drops. Is he kidding? Back to Colorado, with him as a full-time parent, and me back at the SGC?

“You’re kidding me,” I say, more than I ask.

“I am not. You were top of the list. Well, top only because your last name is Carter, and the list is alphabetical," he said, making us both laugh. "It is yours if you want it,” he tells me.

So that is why Vidrine and Halsey were smiling at me. I think I want this.

“I am actually set to retire in three weeks. I tried to time it close to your return. Landry retires in two more months. That gives us a little time to close up shop here and find a place to live out there. I want you to know that you can say no. We can both retire if you want. I will support you no matter what.”

This is why I love him like I do. With him in my corner, I can do anything. There is a knock on his door. He gets up to answer it. It is the Captain with our food. She brings it to the table and we sit down to eat and talk over the promotion and assignment. I give him my answer in thirty minutes. 

“So who takes your spot?” I ask him.

“Your boy is being considered,” he says.

“My _boy_?” I ask with a sarcastic retort.

He laughs at me. He knows I know who he is talking about.

“This is a Cabinet position where a civilian should have been put in the first place. Lord only knows why they picked me or George. Maybe because it was the Air Force who first had the program. After Sheppard came back and retired, he stayed on here at the Pentagon with us. His name was turned in, along with Woolsey and a few others.”

“Wow. Good for him. Do you think he has a shot?”

“I think so. We will see who the President ends up nominating to the Senate. So. What about you?” he asks me again.

I thought about it for a moment longer. 

“Alright. I’ll do it,” I say.

He leans over to me and kisses me tenderly. He looks me in the eyes and I’m melting all over for him again. I hope this never gets old.

“Very well, General Carter. We can come back next week and get the ball rolling. For now, let’s get you home to our daughter. And then I’m going to love you with everything in me,” he says, his eyes already darkening with promise.

This man knows how to strum my heart and soul.

“Then you better take me home, General O’Neill. I’ve been waiting a long time for both.” 

And we do. And he does. My god, does he ever.


End file.
